Posts Tagged “Northwest pear shipments”
Northwest pear shipments for 2024 are expected to be off due to cold damage over the winter, industry leaders say.
The USDA has predicted total Northwest pear production at 520,000 tons, down 22% from 2023.
Oregon pear production, forecast at 200,000 tons, is down 15% from last year, the forecast said; total Washington pear production, at 185,000 tons, is down 31% from 2023.
Tianna DuPont, a tree fruit extension specialist with Washington State University, said Wenatchee-area pear growers experienced cold temperatures in mid-January this year that resulted in winter damage.
In addition, she said there was winter damage from November in the previous year, which resulted in less fruiting wood compared to normal.
“We started off the season with lower-than-average crop estimates, and then we had a frost in the middle of March that has also damaged fruit with frost rings in some areas,” DuPont said. The damage is variable through the valley, but growers expect about half a crop in the Wenatchee River Valley this year, she added.
On the other hand, other pear-growing areas, such as the Yakima region, are looking good.
While it is impossible to say how winter damage could impact future production, DuPont said it will probably take a couple of years to return to average yield in the most damaged areas.
Harvest of bartlett pears had begun by Aug. 21. DuPont said pear harvest in the Wenatchee River Valley continues into October, but the shorter crop may accelerate timing.
Although an official forecast is yet to be released, the Northwest Pear Bureau is optimistic volume this season will meet the previous four-year average.
The NWPB reports the 2023 Northwest fresh pear crop could be in the 15.5 million carton range.
The 2022 crop was initially forecast in September last year at just over 16 million cartons but ended up at just over 14 million cartons, Moffitt said. Snow during pollination hurt yields and led to some fruit drop in 2022, resulting in one of the smallest crops in 20 years.
This year the harvest began for summer varieties like starkrimson and bartletts in early August, with growers starting to pick bosc, green and red anjou in early- to mid-September. This was soon followed by specialty pears like comice, seckel, forelle and concorde pears.
Fall is in full swing, and fresh Pacific Northwest–grown USA Pears are available now in produce sections from coast to coast.
As the leaves change colors, Oregon and Washington growers are harvesting an estimated 16 million standard box equivalents of fresh, USA-grown pears. The versatile, high-in-fiber fruit boasts an extended shelf life, helping consumers avoid food waste, and is the perfect complement for any meal — from charcuterie boards and salads to main dishes, baked goods or desserts.
“This year’s harvest was slow to start, due to a prolonged cold and wet spring, but the pears coming off the trees were worth the wait,” said Jim Morris, marketing manager at Pear Bureau Northwest.
Despite the wet spring, USA Pears anticipates a crop on par with its five-year average.
The harvest was bolstered by the Pacific Northwest’s extra-long stretch of dry, warm weather. With 10 varieties of fresh pears grown in the Northwest fresh pears can be found in the store almost year-round, from Anjou to Starkrimson.
MILWAUKIE, Ore. – With harvest underway throughout the four growing regions, Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) announces the first official estimate of the 2022-23 fresh pear crop for Washington and Oregon. The industry’s fresh pear estimate is 16.2 million standard box equivalents, which is on par with the five-year average.
Across all regions, harvest started in mid-August for summer varieties like Starkrimson and Bartletts, with growers beginning to pick Bosc, Green and Red Anjou in early- to mid- September. Specialty pears like Comice, Seckel, Forelle and Concorde pears will also be available in September, to provide an exceptional assortment of unique and flavorful pear choices for shoppers.
The organic pear estimate is expected to come in at 1,823,000 million standard boxes equivalents, or 11% of the total projected Northwest crop.
“Pear growers are in full harvest mode right now, hand picking a new crop of beautiful, tasty pears starting with Bartletts and Starkrimson,” stated Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of PBNW. “There will be a full range of sizes available, including popular large-sized fruit as well as smaller sizes to fill the popular pouch bags as well as sizes to fulfill export market demand.”
Bob Catinella, PBNW Director of Merchandising added, “As we emerge from pandemic restrictions, the Pear Bureau has been successful with in-person planning meetings with retailers nationwide.”
ABOUT PEAR BUREAU NORTHWEST
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon , home to 84% of the US commercial fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents over 700 grower families and partners with outlets throughout the world in an effort to increase overall success with the pear category. The organization provides marketing and merchandising expertise that is customized specifically for each retail organization, using its pear consumer research findings as well as individual store analysis using an in-house data system that measures pear category performance nationwide and third-party research to show retailers how they perform versus their competition.
PORTLAND, Ore. – With harvest in full swing throughout the four growing regions of the Pacific Northwest, the pear industry is releasing the first official estimate of the 2021-22 fresh pear crop for Washington and Oregon. The industry’s fresh pear estimate is 16.1 million standard box equivalents, which is very close to a four-year average.
“Pear growers are reporting an excellent quality crop this season with some saying it is the best they have seen in a decade,” stated Kevin Moffitt, President and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW). “The fruit finish for this year’s pear crop is outstanding with beautiful shape and high sugars.”
Harvest started in early August for summer varieties like Starkrimson and Bartletts across all regions, with growers beginning to pick Bosc, Green and Red Anjou within the last half of August. Specialty pears like Comice, Seckel, Forelle and Concorde pears became available in September.
The organic pear estimate is expected to come in at 1.94 million standard boxes, which is nearly 12% of the total projected Northwest crop.
“The industry is passionate about providing consumers with the best possible eating experience,” stated Moffitt. “To meet consumer demands for sweet and juicy pears to enjoy 1 to 3 days from purchase, the industry continues to expand and promote the conditioning program, which is proven to increase retail sales and enhance the consumer eating experience.” Moffitt continued.
About Pear Bureau Northwest/USA Pears
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 87% of the US commercial fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents over 800 grower families and partners with outlets throughout the world in an effort to increase overall success with the pear category.
By Northwest Pear Bureau
Pear growers and producers from Washington’s Wenatchee and Yakima valleys and Oregon’s Mid-Columbia and Medford districts have estimated this year’s fresh pear shipments at 16.6 million standard box equivalents, or approximately 366,000 tons of fresh pears. The estimate is coming in slightly above last season’s total.
Harvest started in mid August for early varieties Starkrimson and Bartlett in all regions, with growers to begin picking Green and Red Anjou and Bosc over the last two weeks of August. Specialty pears Comice, Seckel, Forelle and Concorde pears started near the end of August and into the first week of September.
Four leading varieties make the up 96 percent of the Northwest crop.
The industry is expected to ship 8.6 million standard boxes of Green Anjou pears, which will be more than 51 percent of the total crop. Other primary varieties include 4.2 million boxes of Green Bartlett pears at 25 percent of the crop, 2.3 million boxes of Bosc for 14 percent of the crop, and just under 1 million Red Anjou pears at 5.5 percent of the total volume.
The organic pear estimate is expected to come in at 1.96 million standard boxes – more than 43,000 tons which is nearly 12 percent of the total Northwest crop. Green Anjou and Bartlett combine for 74 percent of the organic crop, and Bosc and Red Anjou make up 14 percent and 6 percent respectively, with the remaining specialty varieties also available to fill out the crop year.
About Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 87% of the US commercial fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents over 800 grower families and partners with outlets throughout the world in an effort to increase overall success with the pear category.
While Northwest pear shipments are forecast to decline by 9 percent from last season, and 6 percent compared to the 5-year average, good loading opportunities should remain.
The estimate for the 2019-29 fresh pear shipping season is 17.3 million 44-pound box equivalents. However, the decline doesn’t affect organic production, which at 10 percent of the overall crop, is seeing a 20 percent gain over last season.
The estimate includes Washington’s Wenatchee and Yakima valleys, and Oregon’s Mid-Columbia and Medford districts.
Estimates for pear varieties, and their percentage of the overall crop, are:
- Green anjous:8.8 million boxes (51 percent);
- Bartletts: 4.4 million boxes (26 percent);
- Boscs: 2.2 million boxes (13 percent); and
- Red anjous: 1 million boxes (6 percent).
The green anjou and bartlett crops are down single digits, but the bosc estimate is a 30 percent drop from the most recent season and 23 percent lower than the 5-year average. Red anjou estimates are a slight increase over last season, according to a news release.
Organic production is expected to be 1.76 million boxes, 10 percent of the total crop. That’s a 20 percent increase in organic production from the 2018-19 season. Of that, about 652,000 boxes will be green anjous, about 645,400 boxes will be bartletts and about 272,400 are boscs.
Harvests are expected to be about a week later than last season, which is close to the historical average. Starkrimsons start the first 2 weeks of August, followed in mid-August by bartletts. Anjou harvest starts the last week of August in all districts except in Mid-Columbia, which is early September. Bosc and comice harvest is from mid-August through mid-September, and concorde, forelle and seckel picking is in August and September in the four districts.
New Jersey blueberry shipments are in good volume, while peach shipments have started in the last few days….Meanwhile, Northwest pear shipments should be the best in four years.
Blueberry shipments got underway in mid-June and will run through the end of July for Sunny Valley International Inc. of Glassboro, NJ.
In 2016, the most recent year where statistics are available, New Jersey’s 30 million pounds accounted for 12 percent of total domestic blueberry shipments. New Jersey’s share of the U.S. market was 20 percent of domestic production in June and 26 percent in July.
Fresh blueberry output in New Jersey accounts for about 80 to 85 percent of the crop, with the most of the production coming out of Atlantic and Burlington counties.
Long term acreage trends show 2016 harvested acreage of blueberries in New Jersey was 9,300 acres, down from 10,000 in 2015 and 9,300 acres in 2014.
NJ Peach Shipments
New Jersey peach shipments started this week and should have decent volume until the season ends in mid-September.
Peach shipments in 2016 came from 4,700 acres, according to the USDA, unchanged from 2016 and up 100 acres from 4,600 acres in 2014.
Peach shipments from New Jersey in 2016 totaled 5.2 million pounds, or about 1 percent of domestic peach shipments that year. New Jersey’s share of the domestic peach market was less than 1 percent in July, 3 percent in August, and 2 percent in September.
Northwest Pear Shipments
Pacific Northwest pear shipments are expected to be average this season with 18.8 million, 44-pound boxes following lighter crops four years in a row.
Pear shipments hit a record 21.69 million boxes in 2013, but every year since then the yield has been much lighter. Hot weather causing fruit drop and contributing to decay called cork is blamed for at least partially being responsible for the lighter crops.
The 18. 9 million-box estimate is just 58,345 boxes less than the five-year average of 18.9 million boxes. It is 18 percent bigger than the 2017 crop, which will soon finish at close to 15.9 million boxes.
The forecast will be updated in mid-August. Right now, the breakdown by growing district is: Wenatchee, 8.6 million boxes; Hood River, 7 million; Yakima, 2.4 million; and Medford, 751,200 boxes.
Harvest is forecast to start with Starkrimson in Hood River on Aug. 3 and will finish in late September or early October in higher elevations of Hood River and Leavenworth at the upper end of the Wenatchee Valley.
California grape shipments should continue through December, but your chances of claims or rejected loads may be increasing as late season quality problems are reported.
Confidence in the product is declining as complaints from retailers ranging from poor color on red grapes to decay and condition issues on all varieties are rising. As a result wholesalers are managing increased volumes of fruit that fail to make a satisfactory arrival to retailers. It is recommended drivers check grape quality at shipping point and make sure your receivers know what is being delivered. Meanwhile, meaningful arrivals of imported Chilean grapes won’t occur until January.
San Joaquin Valley grapes, carrots and kiwi – grossing about $3800 to Chicago.
Northwest Pear Shipments
The preseason estimate of 20 million boxes for Northwest pear shipments — 2 percent less than in 2014-15 — already has fallen to about 19 million boxes and could drop even more. In late November some shippers were transitioning into red anjous, and volumes were picking up significantly after Thanksgiving.
There are also some volumes of boscs now being shipped. Bartlett pear shipments should wrap up in February, while Boscs should ship into April and anjous into July.
Yakima Valley, WA apples and pears – grossing about $5000 to Houston
California Avocado Shipments
California Avocado shipments remain significantly higher than last year, but volume fell off sharply in late November.
About 27.9 million pounds of avocados were shipped in the U.S. the week ending November 28th, down from 48.3 million pounds the week before and from 35.3 million pounds in the same week in 2014, according to the USDA.
For the year, 781 million pounds had shipped through Nov. 28, up from 660 million pounds at that time last year.
Southern California avocados, citrus, peppers and tomatoes – grossing about $5900 to New York City.
Northwest pear shipments are underway and estimated at 19.9 million boxes for the season. Both apple and pear shipments are increasing.
This is down slightly from an earlier estimate last spring. However, this will still be the fifth largest crop on record. It’s 4 percent less than 2014 but just 1 percent less than the five-year average. The record is 21.6 million in 2013.
Overall, the Northwest provide good loading opportunities, not only for pears this season, but apple shipments are predicted to be the third largest volume on record.
The Wenatchee district forecast was revised downward from 9.4 million to 9.24 million boxes.
The next district in volume, Yakima, is forecast down 12 percent, the Mid-Columbia (Hood River, Ore.) is down 7 percent and the smallest in volume, Medford, is up 16 percent.
Washington state is shipping nearly 500 truck load equivalents of pears a week, with weekly volume from the new crop still increasing.
Apple shipments from Washington are hitting about 1,800 truck load equivalents each week, but still increasing as new crop volume is on the rise, and the old crop winds down.
Washington state apples and pears – grossing about $6800 to New York City.
Virginia Apples
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Virginia apple shipments to total 180 million pounds.
Virginia is ranked No. 6 among apple-growing states. Quality this season is reported to be good.